USDA

4 citrus disease pests found in Fallbrook

During routine pest trapping in Fallbrook this week, state agricultural inspectors detected bacteria on an insect that can cause a plant disease. It is not harmful to people or animals, but is deadly to citrus trees and is a dangerous agricultural threat, they said. California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) inspectors on December 28 collected a group of four adult Asian citrus psyllids (ACP)…


Tough row to hoe for COVID-19 farm relief

Farmers who grow San Diego County’s most valuable crops may miss out on federal cash for coronavirus-related losses because some of their agriculture products — primarily flowers, nursery plants and exotic fruits — are not included in the relief program. The growers are pushing to get their specialty crops added to the government’s eligible list, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture appears willing to hear…


National food waste cut goals not being met

While 1-in-8 Americans are considered to be “food insecure,” an estimated 40 percent of the nation’s supply of fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat goes to waste, discarded by farmers, retailers, restaurant owners and households. Three federal agencies have agreed to work together to cut that food waste in half by 2030. But a recent government oversight report found that the agencies – the Environmental Protection…